Herman Bavinck's four-volume Reformed Dogmatics is one of the most important theological works of the twentieth century. The recently completed English translation has received wide acclaim. Now John Bolt, one of the world's leading experts on Bavinck and editor of Bavinck's four-volume set, has abridged the work in one volume, offering students, pastors, and lay readers an accessible summary o…
God's Law is Christianity's tool of dominion. This is where any discussion of God's law ultimately the issue of dominion. Ask Who is to rule on earth, Christ or Satan? Whose followers have the ethically acceptable tool of dominion, Christ's or Satan's? What is this tool of dominion, the bibically revealed law of God, or the law of self-proclaimed autonomous man? Whose word is sovereign, God's o…
This book explores five major approaches to this important biblical topic as they've developed in Protestant circles: Non-Theonomic Reformed View – the law is the perfection of righteousness in Jesus Christ. Theonomic Reformed View – the goodness of the law is dependent on how it's used and does not offer a way to salvation. Heavily focused on Paul's discussion of the Law. Law as "Gr…
In the final days of October, 1990, the long-predicted book by the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary finally appeared: Theonomy: A Reformed Critique. In response comes Westminster's Confession. It is both a negative and a positive statement. Theonomists believe that "you can't beat something with nothing." It is not enough to demonstrate that someone is wrong; you must also show what …
The chief aims of this book are: to consider methodologically how to compare two (or more) related but different religions; to destroy the view of Rabbinic Judaism which is still prevalent in much, perhaps most, New Testament scholarship; to establish a different view of Rabbinic Judaism; to argue a case concerning Palestinian Judaism (that is, Judaism as reflected in material of Palestinian pr…
New Testament scholar David Turner offers a substantive yet highly accessible commentary on Matthew in this latest addition to the BECNT series. With extensive research and thoughtful chapter-by-chapter exegesis, Turner leads readers through all aspects of the Gospel of Matthew--sociological, historical, and theological--to help them better understand and explain this key New Testament book. As…
This work by Graham Ward contains nine interrelated studies of representations of Christ. Drawn from sources as diverse as the New Testament and twentieth-century continental philosophy. Ward develops his own original incarnational theology. From his exploration of contemporary categories such as the body, gender, desire, politics and the sublime, a Christology emerges that is both rooted in Sc…
The present volume is a cross-section of theological aesthetics in its current state, as well as a tribute to Hans Urs von Balthasar’s contribution to this academic discipline. What constitutes theological aesthetics is difficult to define since “aesthetics” is itself a rather broad area, the exact contents of which are often bitterly contested. The issues and areas in modern aesthetics t…
Theology of religions is an area of theological reflection on inter-religious relations which raises fundamental questions not just for Christians but for all people of faith in a pluralist, post-modern world. How to practise a religious faith with integrity while respecting other claims to ultimate truth? Must ‘the other’ always be regarded as a problematic complication on the fringes of a…
The goal of this Theology of the New Testament is a comprehensive presentation of the variety and riches of the New Testament world of thought. Each author and each text of the New Testament focuses on their common center, Jesus Christ—each from their own perspective. It is precisely this plurality of perspectives that opens up new vistas for faith, facilitating a new level of thinking and ac…
"Church is not a meeting you attend or a place you enter," write pastors Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. "It's an identity that is ours in Christ. An identity that shapes the whole of life so that life and mission become 'total church.'" With that as their premise, they emphasize two overarching principles to govern the practice of church and being gospel-centered and being community-centered. Wh…
Nothing confuses Christian ethics quite like the Old Testament. Some faithful readers struggle through its pages and conclude that they must obey its moral laws but may disregard its ceremonial and civil laws. Others abandon its teaching altogether in favor of a strictly New Testament ethic. Neither option, argues Chris Wright, gives the Old Testament its due. In this innovative approach to …
One of the most difficult questions facing us today is that of the proper attitude toward possessions. In wealthy nations such as Britain and the USA, individuals accumulate much and yet are daily exposed to the plight of the poor, whether the homeless on their own city streets or starving children on their TV screens. What action should they take on behalf of the poor What should they do with …
The issue of idolatry has been with the human race for thousands of years; the subtle temptation is always to take what is good and turn it into the ultimate good, elevating it above all other things in the search for security and meaning. In this timely and challenging book, New York pastor Timothy Keller looks at the issue of idolatry throughout the Bible -- from the worship of actual idols i…
Highly respected New Testament scholar Craig Keener is known for his meticulous and comprehensive research. This commentary on Acts, his magnum opus, may be the largest and most thoroughly documented Acts commentary available. Useful not only for the study of Acts but also early Christianity, this work sets Acts in its first-century context. In this volume, the first of four, Keener introduces…
Highly respected New Testament scholar Craig Keener is known for his meticulous and comprehensive research. This commentary on Acts, his magnum opus, may be the largest and most thoroughly documented Acts commentary available. Useful not only for the study of Acts but also early Christianity, this work sets Acts in its first-century context. In this volume, the second of four, Keener continues …
This popular text has been updated to ensure that it continues to provide a current and comprehensive overview of the main Christian theologies of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
'Some may object to my dogmatic assertions; but I do not apologize for them. Every preacher should believe strongly in his own method; and if I cannot persuade all of the rightness of mine, I can at least stimulate them to think and to consider other possibilities. I can say quite honestly that I would not cross the road to listen to myself preaching, and the preachers whom I have enjoyed most …
This groundbreaking work by Darrell Bock thoroughly explores the theology of Luke's gospel and the book of Acts. In his writings, Luke records the story of God working through Jesus to usher in a new era of promise and Spirit-enablement so that the people of God can be God's people even in the midst of a hostile world. It is a message the church still needs today. Bock both covers major Lukan t…
James Kugel's The Bible As It Was (1997) has been welcomed with universal praise. Here now is the full scholarly edition of this wonderfully rich and illuminating work, expanding the author's findings into an incomparable reference work. Focusing on two dozen core stories in the Pentateuch--from the Creation and Tree of Knowledge through the Exodus from Egypt and journey to the Promised Land…
In presenting the English Reader with a translation of the Theological Lectures of Dr. Ursinus, upon the Heidelberg Catechism, it is presumed no apology is necessary, at least as far as the German Reformed Church is concerned. Considering the character of Ursinus, his acknowledged ability, and relations to the whole Reformed interest it is a matter of great surprise, that some one has not IOllg…
Provocative and sophisticated, Truth in Aquinas is a fascinating re-evaluation of a key area - truth - in the work of Thomas Aquinas
In a world of facts and figures, can an intellectual have faith? Is it possible to believe anything the Bible says? Yes, and one man will show you how. Amidst scientists' attempts to debunk Christianity's truths and atheists' assuming the Bible is a how-to-be-virtuous self-help book, bestselling author Dinesh D'Souza resolves to both answer the tough questions and challenge believers as well as…
The first volume in this trilogy exploring Christian theological method addressed the problematic question of the theological status of nature; the second now turns to consider the epistemological and ontological status of the real world, prior to exploring the question of how this may be represented theoretically in the third and final volume of the series. The three volumes of this series att…
From 1962 to 1965, in perhaps the most important religious event of the twentieth century, the Second Vatican Council met to plot a course for the future of the Roman Catholic Church. After thousands of speeches, resolutions, and votes, the Council issued sixteen official documents on topics ranging from divine revelation to relations with non-Christians. In many ways, though, the real challeng…
This trilogy had its origins in the long, hot and dry European summer of 1976. I was working at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, combining mastering the complex isolation of a protein thought to be implicated in phosphatidylcholine transport between biological membranes (which had been pioneered at Utrecht) with following through my continuing interest in the history and philosophy…
In this volume Robert Kysar chronicles the history of interpretation of the Fourth Gospel in the twentieth century. His study reveals four distinct critical approaches to understanding the Fourth Gospel―historical, theological, literary, and postmodernist readings. The use of these methods mirrors the history of biblical studies and influences the present state of scholarship.
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Everything we know is developed from something we have read, heard, or seen. Therefore, these other thoughts necessarily influence what we write. To the best of our knowledge, we have given specific credit where appropriate. Rather than footnotes or references, we have listed the works that have provided significant information in one way or another, since this is often in concepts rather than …
Cafés are a natural place to engage in conversations about God. Many of us don’t just swing by for a quick caffeine fix and then dash out. We like to sit down, relax, and read a book or engage in conversation with a friend over a cup of coffee with espresso brownies or cranberry-orange muffins. I’ve enjoyed many hearty discussions at coffee shops—exchanging stories, problems, and questio…
For years I have noted with growing disquiet the pollution of many Christians’ minds by the doctrine of feminism. I believe it is a far more dangerous pollution than most have realized, and I (with what seemed to me pitifully few others) have tried to sound the alarm in every way I could. It is a relief to me that John Piper has done what was badly neede—clarified the fundamental distinctio…
This book aims to introduce you to historical theology as an important and interesting subject. It is also a very large topic; to do justice to it, at least five substantial volumes would be required. This book is an introduction to its aims and themes, which aims to pack as much useful information into a single volume as is realistically possible, using approaches which have been tried and tes…
The Christian doctrine of justification is of immense interest to historians and theologians, and continues to be of major importance in modern ecumenical discussions. The present work appeared in its first edition in 1986, and rapidly became the leading reference work on the subject. Its many acclaimed features include a detailed assessment of the semantic background of the concept in the anci…
Few issues are more central to the Christian faith than the nature, scope and means of salvation. Many have thought it to be largely a trasaction that gets one to the heaven. In this riveting book, N. T. Wright explains that God's salvation is radically more than this.
In his time, Emil Brunner (1889–1966) was acclaimed as one of the greatest and most influential theologians of the twentieth century, especially in the United States of America. From the 1930s to the early 1960s, it is arguable that no single theologian exercised so extensive and pervasive an influence on American and British theologians and preachers. It is easy to see why Brunner garnered s…
The Christian Church possesses in its literature an abundant and incomparable treasure. But it is an inheritance that must be reclaimed by each generation. THE LIBRARY OF CHRISTIAN CLASSICS is designed to present in the English language, and in twenty-six volumes of convenient size, a selection of the most indispensable Christian treatises written prior to the end of the sixteenth century.
This volume contains 83 sermons, including 14 which resolve “Practical Cases of Conscience” and 25 intended as preparation for the Lord’s Table. The remainder are on such subjects as “Gospel Charity”, “Christ’s Pastoral Care”, “The Duty of a Pastor”, and “The Excellancy of Christ.
"Freshly updated for this second edition with considerable new material, this authoritative introduction to the history of Christian theology covers its development from the beginnings of the Patristic period just decades after Jesus's ministry, through to contemporary theological trends. A substantially updated new edition of this popular textbook exploring the entire history of Christian thou…
Outline: Although the author's monumental work, this book, is recognised as a landmar k in Protestant theology - perhaps the most important work of this century - the sheer size and range of its fourteen volumes has meant that its content and significence may not be so widely known or appreciated as it deserves to be. In this concise introduction, the introductor provides a selection of the mo…
Augustine is widely considered to be the most influential theologian in church history after the apostle Paul. Dramatically converted from a life of licentiousness to one of wholehearted devotion to Christ, the humble North African pastor quickly established himself as a leading figure within the ancient church. In Augustine on the Christian Life, historian Gerald Bray explores the rich spiritu…
An Exegetical Study of the Book of Acts and Pauline Theology Christians often skip a crucial starting point when studying the apostle Paul: the foundations of his deeply nuanced theology. Some studies on the book of Acts attempt to touch on every major theme in Paul’s letters, making them difficult to understand or prone to leaving out important nuances. Christians need a biblical, theolog…
This comprehensive systematic theology by respected theologian Robert Letham covers the whole field of Reformed Christian doctrine from biblical, historical, and theological angles. Letham begins with God’s ultimate selfrevelation as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in indivisible union, continuing on with the works of God in creation, providence, and grace. He draws deeply from Sc…
Outline: In this third and final volume of A History of Christian Thought, Dr. Gonzales brings the reader from the beginning of the sixteenth century on the eve of the Reformation down to the twentieth century. The author interprets not only Roman Catholic and Reformation theology, but the theology of the Eastern church as well. Volume III begins with a discussion of the Reformation led by Luth…
Outline: The concept of contextualization has become central to explorations of inculturation and the globalization of Christianity. The term has also been used in a host of varied and often confusing ways. Models of Contextual Theology brings order to this veritable tower of Babel, sorting out, for example, what is at stake when words such as "syncretism" and "orthodoxy" are bandied about in c…
Outline: It's on nearly everyone's shelf, and the best-selling book of all time. And yet the Bible goes unread and unheeded by so many. Rather than seeking in its pages wisdom on how to live and revelation as to who God is, people look within themselves, mining their thoughts and feelings for "the voice of God" and maintaining all the while that their subjective revelations offer clearer insigh…
Outline: Christian theology didn't develop in a vacuum. Understanding the story behind the doctrines that have been debated, defined, and defended throughout history is crucial for truly understanding the doctrines themselves. In this groundbreaking resource, professor Gerald Bray traces the history of Christian theology from the early church to the modern era. Structured to parallel the order …
Outline: Surveying the barriers that contemporary thinking has erected between the natural and the supernatural, between earth and heaven, Hans Boersma issues a wake-up call for Western Christianity. Both Catholics and evangelicals, he says, have moved too far away from a sacramental mindset, focusing more on the "here-and-now" than on the "then-and-there." Yet, as Boersma point out, the teachi…